• As part of a temporary exhibit, the Secession building in Vienna has incorporated a swinger's club into the work. Although the swingers aren't there during the day, their mattresses, erotic pictures, and whirlpools are. •

Advertisement

The Secession building houses one of Gustav Klimt's more grotesque pieces, the Beethoven Frieze. Spokeswoman for the Secession house says that she hoped to bring some controversy to the museum, as sort of a tribute to Klimt. • Joran van der Sloot recently sat down with a television journalist to discuss his role in the disposal of American teen Natalee Holloway's body, which has not yet been retrieved. He claims he dumped her body in a marsh. However, prosecutors believe that van der Sloot's confession is fake. Aruba's chief prosecutor said his statement was "held together by lies and fantasy" and called it "very unbelievable." • It was announced last week that the doctor who filmed the death of Neda Agha-Soltan during the protests in Iran was to receive the George Polk Award for journalism. Although the filmmaker would like to remain anonymous, several of the early recipients spoke to the New York Times about their role in getting out the video. They say the received emails containing the short clip, with the request to upload it to YouTube. • California's public health department is crediting its comprehensive sex ed program for the recent drop in teen births. "We have encouraged that information be provided to teens that promotes responsible behavior, whether they are sexually active or not," said a spokesman. "Other states have not taken a comprehensive approach. They've focused more on abstinence." He refrained from adding, "suck it, bitches." • According to a new study, children are more likely to look to an adult to model rule than other kids. Researchers showed a group of three and four year-old children videos of a child modeling a game, and another video of an adult playing. They found that the children were much more likely to model their method after the adult's behavior. • South Korea's human rights watchdog group reported Monday that female North Korean refugees are at risk of suffering sexual violence or human trafficking after leaving their homeland. They also found that almost 20% of women fleeing the country bribed North Korean guards with money or sex to get across the border. • Mysterious mystery alert: why are there no single women in Silicon Valley? And more importantly, what does this mean for all the dudes? • An Italian Facebook page that featured a picture of a child with Down syndrome and the suggestion that he be used for target practice has been removed from the website by authorities. Italy's equality minister has threatened the fans of the page with legal action. • Yet another reason to put down that pack of American Spirits: a recent study found that people who smoke have lower IQs than those who do not and the more a person smokes, the lower their IQ. • Earlier this week, conservative Rob Port took photographs of several books on socialism he found in the White House. Naturally, he made a big deal out of the picture on his blog. But the Washington Post reveals that the books in question were actually placed there by Jackie Kennedy, and had been on the shelves since 1963. • The Academy's technical awards took place last night, and all 45 winners were male. The awards honored scientific and technological achievements in filmmaking. • The U.S. Navy has decided to lift the ban on women serving on submarines. Congress has 30 days to pass legislation barring the policy change. • Last night Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid praised the new jobs bill, which he says will help more than just the unemployed - it will also help their wives. "I met with some people while I was home dealing with domestic abuse. It has gotten out of hand," Reid said. "Why? Men don't have jobs." • Girl Scout officials in Oklahoma have warned locals about a group of fake cookie salesmen. Apparently, several people have already been conned by the couple, who claim to be selling the treats and ask for cash up front. • North Carolina high school student Tieanna Trough says she refused to write an essay on making deals with the devil in connection to the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving because she's a Christian. "I believe you don't write about how to sell your soul to the devil," said Trough. She agreed to do an alternate assignment on why money is important. • A Louisiana woman was sentenced to 15 months of hard labor yesterday for selling two children in her custody for a cockatoo and $175. Her lawyer claims, "It was a really clumsy attempt at an adoption proceeding. She was trying to help the children and get them situated." The parents of the 5-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl can't be located. • An Indiana man is facing a felony charge for not telling his sexual partners that he is HIV-positive. Police say he may have slept with 100 people since contracting the virus six years ago. • Lamar Advertising has rejected posters designed for bus shelters advertising a touring production of Avenue Q because it shows the cleavage of a fuzzy pink puppet. •